Best Ghost Movies, Bird Box and Love-Death-Robots Reviews, Monday’s Music, DIY MFA, and Ninja-IWSG News

Haunting a Cinema Near You…the Best Ghost Movies of All Time by JH Moncrieff

As someone who’s written a series about—you guessed it—ghosts, it should come as no surprise that Alex asked me to write about ghostly movies. Here are my highly subjective picks for the all-time top five.

5. The Awakening. In this little-known British flick, a published author with a reputation for exposing supernatural hoaxes is summoned to a boarding school that’s haunted by a murderous ghost.

4. The Changeling. After the death of his wife and daughter, a troubled composer moves to Seattle and rents a Victorian mansion. He quickly realizes he isn’t alone. What begins as playful turns sinister as the composer discovers his home’s unwelcome tenant is a bloodthirsty ghost bent on revenge.

3. The Woman in Black. Another tale of revenge, The Woman in Black revolves around grieving lawyer Arthur Kipps, who’s barely holding it together after his wife’s death. His boss gives him one last chance to save his job—travel to Eel Marsh House to settle a deceased client’s estate. Determined to succeed, Kipps ignores the townspeople’s warnings, only to find himself face-to-face with an emaciated woman in black. She isn’t an ordinary ghost, as he soon learns—every time someone catches a glimpse of her, a tragedy befalls the community’s children.

2. The Others. Nothing is what it seems in this atmospheric ghost story. When her soldier husband abandons her, Grace Stewart hires three servants who claim to have worked at the house before. Strange occurrences in the home increase with their arrival. But is the house haunted, or is Grace going mad? The truth is more terrible than you can imagine.

1. The Sixth Sense. (Aka the best ghost movie ever made.) After he fails one of his young clients, child psychologist Malcolm Crowe tackles his biggest challenge yet—a disturbed young boy who’s concealing an unspeakable, heartbreaking secret.

What’s your favorite ghost story?

J.H. Moncrieff’s new release, Forest of Ghosts, was inspired by her real-life experiences in Romania, including Hoia Baciu, the world’s most haunted forest.
Jackson Stone is sick of ghosts. With his love life in shambles, he heads to Romania for a horror writers’ retreat, hoping it will be a break from the supernatural and breathing space from his relationship with medium Kate Carlsson.
But as his fellow writers begin disappearing or losing their minds, he realizes he needs Kate’s help.
When Jackson loses his own memory, Kate’s love is the only thing that can bring him back. But she’s falling for the man responsible for the evil in Romania. A man who claims to be her soul mate. Will this master of wraiths forever break Kate’s bond with Jackson?
Available now!
J.H. loves to hear from readers. To get free ebooks and a new spooky story every week, check out her Hidden Library.
Connect with J.H.: Website / Twitter / Facebook

Movie/Show Reviews

Bird Box
Unseen invaders cause people who do see them to go insane and/or commit suicide. The movie opens with the final fourth of the story – Sandra Bullock and the two kids, blindfolded and in a boat on the river. It then alternates between the river and several years prior during the invasion when a pregnant Bullock sheltered with others in a house.
The movie is well acted and solid. However, two things hurt the film.
First, it’s basically the movie The Happening (although a thousand times better!) with a slice of A Quiet Place thrown in. We’ve seen it all before.
Second, there were no surprises. The story played out exactly as I thought it would.
If you’ve not seen the other two films, or you just want a decent NetFlix movie, then it’s certainly worth a watch.

Love Death and Robots
This is an adult animated anthology series on NetFlix, with each episode being 10-17 minutes long. There is a ton of language, violence and gore, and nudity. (If you want to call that ‘adult’ – not necessarily what I need in an animated film/show to enjoy it.) The common factor between each one is in the title, although I don’t recall much love…
Some of the episodes work, some don’t. A couple feature excessive gore and nudity/sexual scenes. (If it weren’t animated, it would be way beyond R rated.)
The animation is always intriguing though, as each one has its own style. Basically, if the movie Heavy Metal were made today, it would look a lot like this.
There have been some standouts. Three Robots was funny, Good Hunting had a unique story and great cell animation, Suits was a great story, and both Shape Shifters and Lucky 13 featured incredibly realistic animation. (Still not perfect with the faces, but oh-so-close!) And The Secret War was beyond amazing with its realistic animation, especially the snow.
If you can handle the “adult’ – and there are a couple you might want to skip – it’s worth a watch for fans of animation.

Monday’s Music Moves Me

Hosted by Xmas Dolly

This week is a freebie, so I’m jumping in!

I’m featuring Evergrey’s Weightless, taken from their new album, The Atlantic.

Ninja News

The IWSG Goodreads Book Club is hosting a giveaway.
Eligibility: This giveaway is open to members of the Insecure Writer's Support Group Book Club on Goodreads
Prize Given to Winner: Hardcover Copy of The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman
Giveaway Ends: April 8, 2019 12:00am Eastern Standard Time
Enter to win HERE

We’re about a month away from the release of the next IWSG anthology – Masquerade: Oddly Suited!
 
Visit the IWSG site for details and pre-order links.

And we just might have some news about the next IWSG Anthology Contest very soon…

New Releases: 

The Heart of Things by Joy Campbell
Book 2 in the In Medias Res series
Find it on Amazon

Luck of the Billionaire by Donna K. Weaver
Kayn never imagines a murder could lead him to love.
Find it on Amazon

DIY MFA

We are partnering with DIY MFA this spring to bring you a great program for writers.

Before we announce details, we’ll be sharing several of their learning podcasts.

The next one is - Episode 236: Writing Without Rules (or Pants) — Interview with Jeff Somers.

Check it out and be watching next month for details about the program.

What do you think are the best ghost movies ever? Have you seen Bird Box? Watched any of Love Death and Robots? What music is moving you? Want to win a free book? And are you ready to read Masquerade: Oddly Suited?

See you April 3 for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group!

Corruptions and Villains, Alita: Battle Angel Review, Train to Busan Review, #HelpMithuSaveSchool, IWSG Award and Co-Hosts, and Strange Blood!

Quick note! I was a guest at Janice Hardy’s Fiction University last Friday. Please check out the article – it was an honour to contribute to her site. Janice Hardy is also visiting the Insecure Writer’s Support Group site today.

Corruptions and Villains

Hi Alex! Thanks for offering to host me on the last day of my tour. I’d like to introduce your readers to the villain of the piece, Professor Roger Lunkin. Who is he and what does he want?

When we first meet Professor Harold Lunkin, he’s about to embark on the newly named Princess Ezmerelda to travel to Loretania under the leadership of Chief Scientist George Tindleson. Their mission: carrying crates of antidote to rid that country’s people of a crippling disesase. Our young heroes – Welles, Ez and Mal – are there to wave the scientists off, and there’s lots of jovial banter between them and Tindleson, but Lunkin comes off very differently. He doesn’t acknowledge the youngsters, seeing them as more of a nuisance. They’ve seen him around the science labs but never really spoken to him.

The truth is, Lunkin liked the way things were before under the Reformers’ Government. That was when the truth about Loretania had been kept hidden from the people of Harmonia, who lived in the lap of luxury. He’s going along on this trip grudgingly, loath to give up the comforts he’s enjoyed all his life for a land that’s dirty, smelly, even primitive. That said, he’s nothing if not ambitious. While most of his colleagues have always looked up to Dr Tindleson, he sees him as a pompous gasbag with a dangerous habit of clinging on to ideas and trinkets from the pre-Reformers days – the bad old days, as Lunkin would see them. If he sees a way to get something out of this trip, something that can offer him a personal benefit, he’s going to take it. Maybe he’ll even get a chance to do what he’s always wanted – assume command.

Corruption by Nick Wilford
Book two of the Black & White series
YA dystopian

Wellesbury Noon and Ezmerelda Dontible have found themselves in a position where they can make their native land somewhere that lives up to its name: Harmonia. However, they’re setting their sights further afield for their number one task: eradicating the disease that has plagued the neighbouring country of Loretania for generations and allowed the privileged Harmonians to live in a sterile environment…
*** Warning – this book contains themes that some sensitive readers may find upsetting. ***

Find it on Amazon US, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and Goodreads
And part one, Black & White, is currently free: Amazon, Amazon UK, Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, iTunes, and Goodreads

Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those early morning times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction, with a little freelance editing and formatting thrown in. When not working he can usually be found spending time with his family or cleaning something. He has four short stories published in Writer’s Muse magazine. Nick is also the editor of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew. Visit him at his blog or connect with him on Twitter, Goodreads, Facebook, or Amazon.

Movie Reviews

Alita: Battle Angel

I was hesitant to see this film. I’ve read the manga novels and watched the early 90’s anime film and really enjoyed both. Despite the Cameron/Rodrigues pedigree, I was worried.
Fortunately, nothing to worry about!
In the 26th century, a cybernetics doctor (Christoph Waltz) finds the remains of a female cyborg and revives her. Unable to remember her past life, Alita (Rosa Salazar) sets out to find answers and to connect to the new world around her.
The story follows the graphic novels very well. It feels a bit rushed at times, but the movie is trying to cram several novels into one. It does manage to cover the key story points really well though.
Visually it’s stunning. The blend of anime and reality is amazing, especially with Alita. The actress becomes a CGI anime figure that is both real and yet not. It does cause a little bit of a disconnect, but not enough to take away from your enjoyment.
The story really focuses on the characters. My wife thought the character development was great and tugged at the heart. It doesn’t lack in kick butt action scenes, though. The bar scene with all the hunter-killers was just awesome.
Highly recommended!

Train to Busan

2018 movie - A zombie virus breaks out in South Korea and passengers on a train struggle to stay alive.
Asian cinema has a theme that runs through every film I watch – cue the sad and depressing music. Whether it’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Hero or The Host, one thing is for sure – you will be sad at the end.
Having said that, this is a solid entry into the incredibly overcrowded zombie genre. There are some really great set pieces and the train provides a feeling of claustrophobia. I appreciated that the film was bloody but not over the top gory. (Good news for squeamish viewers!)
If you’re looking for a film that breathes a little life into a genre done to death (pun intended), this South Korean film gets the job done.
Recommended and bring the Kleenex.

IWSG News

The IWSG made UK Writers Hub’s 50 Best Writing Blogs in 2018 list!
Thanks to everyone who nominated us – we are honoured.

We need co-hosts for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group for April, May, and June! Leave a comment or send me an email if you can volunteer.
Many of you IWSG members have never volunteered – make this your year. It really is more fun on the host side. And all you have to do is visit twenty blogs in a batch. Easy!

Save a New Delhi School

Damyanti is hosting a very special blogathon to raise money for a school in New Delhi that’s in danger of closing forever.

During the blogathon, write one or more posts to talk about love, any kind of love at all, and about honouring the ones you love. All we ask is at the end of your post, you mention the fundraiser, and add the graphic above.

You can support the #HelpMithuSaveSchool fundraiser HERE.

There are many forms of love.
I love people. I used to not love people. At all. But I realized that to love God meant I needed to love His people.
I love my friends. They are there for me, without conditions.
I love my family. No matter what the quirks. They are special people.
I love my wife. She is my best friend. She is the person who brings out the best in me.
I love my Lord. Without Jesus, I have no hope of eternal salvation, and yet all he asks in return is that I accept Him as my saviour and love Him with all my heart. His love for me is true Agape love and He loves me no matter what.
That is how I see love.
How do you see love?

Book News

Coming soon - Strange Blood: 70 Essays on Offbeat and Underrated Vampire Movies compiled by Vanessa Morgan

Featuring an essay by yours truly! Yes, my piece is on the movie Near Dark.

This is an overview of the most offbeat and underrated vampire movies spanning nine decades and 23 countries.
Strange Blood encompasses well-known hits as well as obscurities that differ from your standard fang fare by turning genre conventions on their head. Here, vampires come in the form of cars, pets, aliens, mechanical objects, gorillas, or floating heads. And when they do look like a demonic monster or an aristocratic Count or Countess, they break the mold in terms of imagery, style, or setting.
Leading horror writers, filmmakers, actors, academics, and programmers present their favorite vampire films through in-depth essays, providing background information, analysis, and trivia regarding the various films. Some of these stories are hilarious, some are terrifying, some are touching, and some are just plain weird. Not all of these movies line up with the critical consensus, yet they have one thing in common: they are unlike anything you've ever seen in the world of vampires.
Just when you thought that the children of the night had become a tired trope, it turns out they have quite a diverse inventory after all.

There is also a giveaway through March 12, so don’t miss it.


New release:
With the Magic (Twickenham Time Travel Romance Book 7) by Donna K. Weaver
When Gareth Hildebrand travels from the year 1850 to a future time, he’s not expecting to fall in love.
Find it on Amazon

What do you think of Corruption’s villain? Did you catch Alita: Battle Angel? Seen Train to Busan? What’s your take on love? Can you help a New Deli school? Ready to learn about some unique vampire films? And can you co-host the IWSG in the next three months?

Don’t forget to visit Janice Hardy’s Fiction University.

See you next Wednesday for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group blog posting!

CassaFire in Turkish, Secret Behind Disaster Films, Disaster Movie Trivia, Haken-Affinity Review, and New Releases

CassaFire in Turkey!

Now available – CassaFire in Turkish!


The title translates to Shotgun Fire, which is funny. I guess in the story, Byron isn’t a Cassan, he’s a Shotgonian.


Find it at Gurer Publishing.

The Secret Behind Disaster Films

Please welcome my Dragon Fellowship buddy and author, Carrie Butler!


Do you want to know the secret behind disaster movies? We enjoy them for all the wrong reasons.

Experts believe that the worse things get in “real life,” the more we take comfort in situations bleaker than our own. We flock to theaters to watch entire cities get wiped off the earth, our hearts pounding in time with those of the main characters, and it’s all from the safety of our sticky seats. Talk about a rush!

The thing is, unlike other film genres, we’re not exactly there for the storyline. Without the special effects and resounding booms, most disaster flicks would fold in on themselves. Why? Because there’s no reason to spin an intricate plot when you can just dust off a formula from the 1970’s. Right, Hollywood? Nudge, nudge...

Okay, truth be told, most of us don’t mind the lack of outside draw. In some cases, it’s all part of the cheesy allure. But the one thing that will always baffle me is the industry’s blatant disregard for science. Entertainment requires some liberties to be taken, but how can a studio with money and resources get things so horribly wrong? Case in point, San Andreas (2015). Having spent the better half of the past two years studying earthquakes and tsunamis—I just released an action/adventure centering around a catastrophic seismic event in the Pacific Northwest—I could not hold my tongue during certain scenes.

THE SAN ANDREAS IS NOT A SUBDUCTION ZONE!

Ahem. Needless to say, the next time you catch a disaster movie, I want you enjoy it—just don’t count on it to prepare you for a real life situation. You know, like the next time you have to saw your way out of a shark. ;)

Thanks for having me, Alex!

Carrie Butler is an award-winning author and the owner of Forward Authority full-service studio.

Find As We Know It at Amazon, iTunes, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo

Haken – Affinity

Here’s a band flying under the musical radar that deserves serious attention from prog fans. Simply put, the album is amazing.
In each song, you’ll hear many difference influences from prog rock giants. (Such as Yes and Porcupine Tree.) They all blend together to give Hakan a very distinct voice. The music is complex. The arrangements are tricky. These guys are serious musicians.
It’s prog, so don’t expect instant gratification. However, the patient listener will be rewarded with an album they’ll enjoy for years.

New Releases

Shattered Spirit (Totem #4) by Christine Rains
Find it on Amazon

Teapots and Treachery by Donna K. Weaver
Find it on Amazon

FreeFall, Backworlds Book 7 by M. Pax
Find it on Amazon, iTunes, and Barnes and Noble

Movie Trivia

In honor of Carrie’s story, today’s trivia centers around natural disaster movies. Name the movie from the tagline.

1 – Heads up
2 – It’s five miles wide…it’s coming at 30,000 mph…and there’s no place on Earth to hide
3 – We were warned
4 – Where will you be?
5 – The pressure is building. Whatever you do, don’t look back
6 – Oceans rise. Cities fall. Hope survives.
7 – The only way out is in
8 – The coast is toast

Answers on Monday!

Are you a fan of disaster films? Ever heard of Haken? Picking up some new books? Know any of the trivia? And have you ever been through a major natural disaster?

Movie Reviews - Lockout & YellowBrickRoad, Ninja News, Celebrating Bloggers Blog Hop, Music Answers, and Movie Quotes Trivia!

Movie Reviews!

Feels like I haven’t done one of these in ages. So I’ll give you two!

Lockout - 2012

Officially the worst film of 2012! Mystery Science Theater 3000 would have a field day with this movie.
It’s similar to Escape From New York, only much, much worse. In the first five minutes, the special effects are on par with early 80’s films. The dialogue is cheesy. The plot’s convoluted. The movie is badly edited. It’s a total mess.
There’s only one reason I made it to the end – Guy Pearce. His character was snarky as hell and stole the show. Drop Pearce in that character into any other film, and he would’ve been brilliant.
You’ve been warned!!!

YellowBrickRoad - 2010
In 1940, the entire population of Friar, NH walked up a winding mountain trail – some froze to death, some were slaughtered, and the rest vanished. This movie follows a group of explorers trying to solve the mystery of the Yellow Brick Road.
Part psychological thriller, part horror (a.k.a. Blair Witch) this freaky little movie gets under your skin. (It’s not a found footage film though.) It’s disturbing on many levels with a vibe similar to Valhalla Rising. Ending is really odd, but everything in between is even odder, especially the music. If you need satisfaction in your movies, look elsewhere. Want a weird ride that’s not too extreme? This is your movie.

Ninja News!

Rick announced that the first issue of Nain Rouge Magazine, a Journal of Art, Poetry and Prose is up over at White Cat Publications, LLC!

Tim Brannan at The Other Side is hosting the Monstrous Monday Blogfest on October 29 – blog about your favorite monster. Just in time for Halloween!

Donna K. Weaver just signed a contract with Rhemalda Publishing. Congratulations, Donna!

Celebrating Bloggers Blog Hop

Caught this over at Jennifer Lane’s blog. (And she was gracious enough to list me!) It’s the Celebrating Bloggers Blog Hop, hosted by Terri Giuliano Long.

I’d like to celebrate the following bloggers:

Patrick Tillett Extreme traveler and expert photographer. Pat goes to those out of the way places so we don’t have to. Thanks pat – you rock!

Kathy at Imagine Today - She’s a writer, a reader, and a very sweet person. Her profile says it all “I am passionate about living life and giving back to our world.” Amen, Kathy!

Gary and Penny at Klahanie - master of snark and much coveted blog comments. Gary is both amusing and devoted. We all know Penny is in charge though!

Medeia Sharif - Young adult author, major goal achiever, and a super supporter. You are super cool in my book, Medeia!

Johanna at Losing Sanity - Author and mother extraordinaire, she has a great grip on life and family. And I’d take her traveling anytime, because she knows all the good spots!

Music Trivia Answers!

1 – Three singers have fronted Van Halen – name them. David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, and Gary Cherone (formerly of Extreme)
2 – Joe Satriani, one of the best guitarists in the world, is known for his guitar instrumental albums, but he actually sang lead vocals for several songs on which of his albums? Flying in a Blue Dream
3 – Care to take a stab at naming all the lead singers for the band Rainbow? Ronnie James Dio, Graham Bonnet, Joe Lynn Turner, and Doogie White
4 – In 1999 the band Fear Factory did a cover of the 1980 song, Cars, and it featured a guest appearance by the original singer/songwriter – name him. Gary Numan
5 – And now here’s an easy one! Name the lead singer of Rush. Geddy Lee

Comedy Movie Quotes Trivia!

You can blame Jeremy at Retro-Zombie. We’ve had a banter of movie quotes going on the past couple weeks. Name the comedy!

1 – “Go that way really fast. If something gets in your way, turn.”

2 – “Maybe you’re the plucky comic relief.”

3 – “Ray, next time someone asks you if you’re a god, say yes!”

4 – “Take this quarter, go downtown, and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face!”

5 – “You idiot! These are not them. You’ve captured their stunt doubles!”

Seen either of the movies I reviewed? (If you saw Lockout in the theater, my condolences.) Any news spark your interest? Who would you celebrate in the blog hop? Get any of the music trivia right? Know any of the movie quotes? Think the Ninja spends too much time watching movies? Nah – never!